My Perfect Places on Lake Street
We will be featuring testimony from business owners, residents, and others about their favorite Lake Street spots. Have some favorites you’d like to share? Contact us!
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From a satisfied Minneapolis customer
While strolling through the Midtown Global Market, the sight of a sari draped on a model caught my eye. After doing some other shopping, I returned to Geetanjoli’s out of curiosity. I had no intention of looking for a special garment, but then I spotted a royal blue dress with sequins and other adornments. I stepped inside the shop and a helpful salesman invited me to try the garment; which I did. Rather than purchase on the spot, I determined to return the next day and purchase the item if it were still there. To my amazement and delight, the two-piece beautiful garment was still on display!
I bought the garment to wear to our older son’s wedding. The results were amazing. When I first wore the dress to show my husband; the look of delight in the expression on his face was one I had seen only rarely in our many years of marriage. I received a similar amazed look when both of my sons and the groomsmen saw me in the outfit. Furthermore, many of our family and friends were surprised by the elegance of the garment and so I wore it with great delight on a very special occasion, our son’s wedding.
Because of the joy this garment brings me, I will wear it often. So, do check out the one-of-a-kind garments at Geetanjoli’s Sari Fashion! You will be surprised by their quality, affordability, and the personalized attention.
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Rachel Hickok, Marketing Project Assistant at Meet Minneapolis
Last weekend, my husband and I ventured down to Lake Street for our date night. We spent the evening in Calhoun Square. With winter still hanging on, it was great to have a place where we could have dinner options, entertainment, shopping and a place to chill with a cocktail all in one place! We started off the evening at Figlio. There were so many delicious options, it was hard to choose! We ended up trying a fried calamari appetizer to share, which was great. I had the lobster ravioli and he had baked ziti with sausage (we’re both pasta fiends.) The restaurant had a nice romantic feel, and we definitely had a great time!
After dinner, we perused some of the fun little shops. I conveniently dropped hints that Fairy Godmother would be a great place to buy a gift for any occasion. The selection of unique books, trinkets and decor was delightful. We were even greeted at the door by a woman in a ballgown handing out gingerbread cookies!
After checking out all the great cooking supplies at Kitchen Window, we decided to head home early, but not before running into the rushes of people piling in to see a blues band at Famous Dave’s and a clean-comedy show at Comedy Sportz. On our way home, we drove down Lake Street, and I ended up making myself a “mental checklist” of must try places. There’s so many unique ethnic restaurants, funky shops and fun things to do! I can hardly choose a place to begin!
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Erica Dao, East Isles neighborhood resident
The Midtown Global Market is by far my favorite spot on Lake Street. I like to support local business when I can and the Midtown Global Market is a great place that supports that cause. It’s amazing to see immigrants making their American Dream come alive and seeing entrepreneurs succeed at their true passions. I love the eclectic mix of food and products. It’s truly a satisfying experience and definitely worth the visit.
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Chris Oien, administration and communications coordinator for Lake Street Council
I’m lucky enough to work right across the street from the Midtown Global Market (920 E. Lake St.), so lunch over there is a must. Most every restaurant there makes for an excellent lunch spot. If I want to grab my food quickly, a likely spot is Safari Express. The chicken suqqar there is fabulous, and I always make sure to get a serving of the green biz-baz sauce for an extra spicy kick. Jamal, the owner, is always telling me that he doesn’t think Minnesotans can handle that level of spiciness, so I’m determined to prove him wrong.
After work, it might be time for dinner and a show. The theater I head to the most is Pangea World Theater (711 W. Lake St.). They always put on unique productions that you won’t find anywhere else. With a focus on human rights and social justice, they’ll make you think at the same time they’re entertaining you. I like them so much that I joined their board a couple years back.
If I’m going to Pangea, I might be looking to have dinner in the Lyn-Lake area too, and often that means Fuji Ya (600 W. Lake St.) for some really good sushi. I’m a big fan of both this place and Midori’s Floating World Café (2629 E. Lake St.). They both have great Japanese food, but they’re two very different places. Sometimes I go for the down-home feel and wonderful tea selection at Midori’s, other times the amazing green tea ice cream at Fuji Ya is enough to tip the balance in their favor!
And I’m not usually much of a shopper, but I do love books, and Lake Street is blessed with some high quality book stores. In Uptown, there’s Magers & Quinn, the Twin Cities’ largest independent bookstore, with a big selection of both local and national books. They also host an impressive number of author readings, usually several every week. It’s where we got our Uptown Minneapolis book.
